How to Connect Two Routers on the Same Network - Connect the Main Router First

Although this is a residential gateway, you can use the configuration settings in all types of LAN connection. In the screen shot provided above, let's say you are not using a network hub to connect to your computer, so you can ignore that piece of hardware. Most routers are intelligent enough to handle network signals and perform the work of the network hub.

Before you connect the Internet to your router, you need to configure it. First, establish a connection between your router and your computer's LAN card. This can be done either through wireless or cable connections. A detailed discussion of how to connect is beyond the scope of this article; you should refer to the router manual.

Bear in mind that if you are using cable connections, you should NOT connect the cable from your LAN card to the WAN port of your router. This is not correct, and is a common mistake.

Confirm whether the connection has been successfully made by going into Start -> Run -> CMD; the DOS command line screen will pop up. Then type this command:

Ping 192.168.1.1

This should be the default IP address of the main router. And this is also the most common default IP address of Linksys routers. You will know that the connection between the main router and your computer is made when you receive a ping reply such as this:

When you receive a ping reply, it is the time to configure your router. Open your browser and type:

http://192.168.1.1

Enter the router default username and password. After that, you will need to configure your router (in this case the WRT54G router). Below are the suggested settings:

Internet connection type: Automatic Configuration - DHCP

Router name: WRT54G

Host name: leave this blank

Domain name: leave this blank

MTU: Auto

Size: 1500

Local IP address: 192.168.1.1

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

DHCP Server: Check "Enable"

Starting IP address: 192.168.1.100

Maximum number of DHCP users: 50

Client Lease time: 0

Static DNS 1: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 2: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 3: 0.0.0.0

WINS: 0.0.0.0

Time zone: Select the time zone of your country.

For security settings, refer to the router manual. Enabling security is recommended to avoid unauthorized access or theft of Internet connections using wireless.